~A/N: Sorry for the long absence! I had exams to study for... but now they're over... :D
A Love in the Mist
Chapter 3: Arrival
Elenya had let out her frustration through archery, and was now ready to go back inside. Elrond had been watching her through his balcony window, and felt that sometime soon, he should let her know of her true heritage. All this time, her past had been hidden from her, but Elrond didn't want to upset her. He knew her well enough by now, and knew that if she found out, she would most likely hate him forever. Even though Elenya wasn't his biological daughter, he felt that she truly was one of his own. Sighing dejectedly, he turned his attention to the guard who had approached his study door.
"My Lord, King Thranduil and his son are here." Elrond nodded and dismissed the guard. He had not expected them to arrive so soon... ah, no matter, their rooms were ready anyway. He had intended to make their arrival more welcoming with at least the family there to greet them, but they were here already and Elrond could only hope that Thranduil would understand. The Elf King of the Northern realm had a slight tendency to overreact to little things.
When Elrond entered the main hall, Thranduil was actually smiling. Elrond gave a warm welcome and apologized for the missing family members.
"I'm sorry my friend, but you arrived a little earlier than expected." Elrond said lightly. Thranduil chuckled.
"yes, yes... I wanted to be here a little early to make sure I wouldn't miss anything... you don't mind, do you?" Elrond shook his head.
"No of course not.. Rivendell is honored by your presence." Elrond paused to look at Thranduil's son, Legolas. It surprised Elrond how much Legolas and his father looked alike. Their facial features were almost exactly the same, the only minor difference being the different shade of blonde in the hair color. However, their personalities were somewhat different. While Thranduil seemed to enjoy conversation, Legolas seemed more quiet and reserved, preferring to observe. Legolas' face was in wonder, as he looked at Rivendell around him, since Legolas had only been to Rivendell once before (Oh, in this Story, there is no battle with the Ring).
"Welcome, Legolas. Rivendell is beautiful, is it not?" Legolas immediately snapped to attention.
"Thank you. Yes, Rivendell is beautiful." Legolas said, bowing slightly.
"No need for that my boy... you are most welcome here. Come, your rooms are ready." Elrond nodded to the hand-maidens to get their things to their rooms.
***********
Elenya had been returning from the archery range when she saw her father waiting for her at the door. Smiling slightly, she looked up at him.
"I'm sorry for my earlier outburst." She said, feeling much like a 500 year old child. Elrond simply opened his arms take her into a hug, showing that he was never angry at her. They walked into the palace, not really saying much, but Elrond walked her into his study again.
She was confused. It seemed like her father was deep in thought, almost having an internal battle within himself... about what, she didn't know. Elrond was about to say something when his eyes caught sight of the pendant around her neck. It was almost like Arwen's Evenstar, except it was called "Starlight". The basic design was the same; two silver crossed over leaves in the back, with gemstone flowers and centers. While Arwen's Evenstar had white gems, Elenya's was different. The flower part was a deep sapphire blue to match the hue of her eyes, and the center part was a white star gemstone instead of a teardrop shape. He remembered giving it to her just after Celebrian passed into the West, as she had originally meant to give it to Elenya on her 550th birthday, but never had the chance to. Since then, Elenya had never taken the necklace off. Elrond looked up at her eyes from the necklace and smiled half heartedly.
"You look almost like Arwen, you know that?" Elrond meant it; the two did look astoundingly alike.
"Atar!" Elenya giggled, relieved at the silence breaker. "atar... what did you really mean to say? I think you were contemplating to say something else..." She trailed off, looking hopefully into her father's eyes.
"Ah yes... King Thranduil of Mirkwood and his son arrived today... much earlier than expected." Elenya had a think for a moment.
"Mirkwood.. Mirkwood... ah, Legolas, right?" Elenya had never really met Legolas before. Unless her 500th birthday counted, but they were mere children then, and she could barely remember anything except for smushing her face into her birthday cake.
"Yes.. that would be him. Why don't you go looking for him and say hello? there was no one to greet him except for me, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind a tour." Elrond said. Elenya nodded. As she headed out the door, Elrond called after her.
"And wear something presentable please." Elenya looked at Elrond, as he gave her a "I'm-joking-yet-serious" look. She nodded absently and headed up to her chambers to change.
Hmm... What should I wear? Wait a minute, why am I caring?! She wondered at her thoughts. Despite her previous argument, Elenya took great care in choosing her outfit. She assumed it was because of her desire to make a good impression, after all, it was her 650th birthday, supposedly the most important of all birthdays, and she needed to at least look like a lady if she wasn't acting like one. She knew her dress couldn't be too ornate, since that was the party's job.
Something simple... something simple... She kept thinking, browsing through her closet. Finally, the right dress caught her eye. It was a pale blue satin dress with translucent white organza layers that was flowy and elegant, yet at the same time, simple. It had thin spaghetti straps and a broad v-neckline. There was a deep blue ribbon wrapped under the chest area that somehow tied into a star shape on the front, letting the long ends of the ribbon flow down the front of the dress (Need a picture? E-mail me). The tops of her shoulders were covered by some white organza. Elenya had never worn it, and it was a present from her grandmother Galadriel many years ago. Although Elenya still felt it was a bit much, she decided to wear it anyway. For her hair, she combed it a few times, then braided a few stands and weaved thin blue ribbon through it. Deciding she was ready, she left her room in search of the Prince of Mirkwood.
~A/N: What did you think? *^^* I just kinda came up with the design of the dress as I was writing this... but I think it sounds good... :) Please R&R!!! :) ~Feathers of the Wind
p.s. if you need the pic of the dress, my e-mail is: lone_woodsprite@hotmail.com
